Swansea fly off to Dubai on Sunday for some well-earned warm-weather training, leaving behind another job well done. In contrast, QPR are probably heading for the Championship after a comprehensive defeat that saw the Harry Redknapp revival come to a halt.

The Premier League's bottom team were unbeaten in five before this, but remain in dire straits after a dreadful performance that was characterised by the fumbling hands of their goalkeeper Júlio César.

Redknapp believes Rangers need to win at least six of their 12 remaining matches to stay up. "It's going to be tight, but Wigan and Reading lost today and it's still all to play for. Yes, we can do it," he said.

César, playing with a groin injury, let two shots escape his from grasp in the first 18 minutes of the game, and the Swans punished him ruthlessly, scoring on both occasions.

Bobby Zamora, on as substitute, did pull one back early in the second half, but Swansea quickly reasserted themselves to score two more. Their only concern after a good win was the ankle-ligament injury sustained by Chico Flores, which threatens to put the Spanish centre-half out of the Capital One Cup final in two weeks' time. His replacement was Kyle Bartley, who cleared a shot from Stéphane Mbia off the line.

Injuries to Loïc Rémy (hamstring) and Zamora forced QPR to start without a conventional centre forward. Zamora needs surgery to remedy his hip condition, and is delaying it until the end of the season in the hope that cameos like today's might help the team to stay up. "Without those two we are short up front, That's why I tried to get [Peter] Odemwingie," Redknapp said.

Swansea were ahead after only eight minutes, when César failed to hold Nathan Dyer's shot from the edge of the penalty area and Michu forced the ball in at close range for his first goal in seven games.

For the second goal Wayne Routledge supplied Angel Rangel, who cut inside Jamie Mackie before letting fly. Again César saved the initial shot but allowed the ball to get away from him, enabling the full-back to make sure with his second attempt.

QPR were briefly back in contention three minutes into the second half, when Michel Vorm palmed Adel Taarabt's shot from the right straight to Zamora, leaving him with a simple tap-in.

Two minutes later, however, the Welsh team restored their two-goal advantage, with César again at fault. Pablo Hernández, supplied out on the left by Michu, cut inside two QPR defenders, then beat the Brazilian goalkeeper at his near post from what looked like an almost impossible angle near the byline.

Midway through the second half Michu added his 18th of the season, holding off Chris Samba before scoring with a sublime finish from near the penalty spot, one Spaniard's cool expertise doing full justice to a lovely through pass from another, Hernández. Shaun Wright-Phillips struck the crossbar in stoppage time at the end, but it was far too little, much too late.

Redknapp acknowledged that César had been at fault, but refused to criticise the man he described as "a world-class goalkeeper". "We gave bad goals away today," said Redknapp, "they were bad errors. Shots came back off the keeper. He [César] had been absolutely fantastic for us, as good as any goalie in the league. I wouldn't swap him for anybody, but he played with a groin strain today and it handicapped him. He told me he was all right to play but obviously he wasn't. I'm not going to have a go at him. In our previous five games, when we've done so well, he was our best player. It was a bad day for him today, but that's how it goes.

"When we bring Bobby Zamora on we're a different team. He holds the ball up and brings others into the play, but he's only 50% fit and can't play 90 minutes. It makes a massive difference to the team when he's fit."

The Swansea manager, Michael Laudrup, said: "Overall it was a good day for us, apart from Chico's injury. We're hoping that it's just a twisted ankle, but if the scan shows it's ligaments he'll miss the [Capital One] final."